Aquatics / Athletics

National titles for Plymouth Triathlon Club on successful weekend

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TRAVIS BRAMLEY and Laura Aspen claimed national titles as Plymouth Triathlon Club enjoyed a highly successful weekend both at home and abroad.

The club took a large contingent down to Falmouth for the fourth event in the Cornwall Triathlon Series, which ran alongside the English Aquathlon Championships.

The competition, held in tough conditions, attracted athletes from all over the country, with Plymouth Triathlon Club coming away with two English champions.

Bramley (pictured above), who in May won the British Youth Championships in Hyde Park, claimed victory in the men’s under-20 competition, despite being just 16 years old.

Cyclelogic’s Dave Bartlett, competing in the 30-34 age category, was first overall, but Bramley was just nine seconds behind him.

In the female 20-24 age group, Aspen won gold on the picturesque Gyllyngvase Beach.

Anya Starling came agonizingly close to an English medal. She finished fourth in the 30-34 women’s category.

Mark Bramley had a strong run to take sixth in the male 45-49 race.

Kelly College duo of Tom Brew and Victoria Moore also performed to a high standard. Moore, 15, won silver behind Sian Temple in the female race and Brew finished sixth in the male competition. Moore had won the Plymouth Youth Aquathlon last weekend at Mount Batten.

In the sprint triathlon at Falmouth, Nick Kerrigan just missed out on an overall medal, finishing fourth in a time of one hour, 14 minutes and 47 seconds.

He was closely followed by team-mate Philip Saunders, who came home in 1:16.16 to take sixth.

Nathan Newton, clocking 1:21.07, was third Plymouth Tri member home in 13th position.

The team made of Steve Dilley, Jamie Muirhead and Ian Lamerton won the relay category and finished 21st overall.

Other strong performances included, Matt Shipping (65th), Tom Jennings (27th), Matt Rayment (31st), Ian Blackie-Taylor (68th) and Chris Puertas (34th).

Both Rayment and Blackie-Taylor finished ninth in their respective categories with Puertas winning bronze in the 50-59 category.tri3

Elsewhere in the region, Neil Minion (pictured) raced at the GU Energy Weymouth Middle Distance Triathlon and won his age group. He finished 13th overall in five hours and three minutes, with an impressive 1 hour 43 half-marathon after more than three hours of racing.

Tri1The city’s triathletes also contributed to Great Britain’s army of almost 700 triathletes competing at the stunning Lake Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend.

Heather Booth (pictured) and Dave Monk represented their country in the sprint distance competition on Friday, while Kevin Digby raced in the Olympic distance.

Booth finished 11th in her age group in one hour and 22 minutes, while Monk finished in 1:33 to finish 30th.

Digby’s Olympic distance race – double the length of the sprint course – was on the Sunday and he finished 31st in two hours and 11 minutes in the 30-34 age group, despite a snapped spoke on the first hill of the bike leg.

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